IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Trims Stock Position in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd reduced its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 50.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,136 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,169 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in HCA Healthcare were worth $910,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,434,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the period. Triglav Investments D.O.O. acquired a new stake in HCA Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $852,000. Optimize Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth about $430,000. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 37.7% in the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 17.7% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HCA Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE HCA opened at $501.89 on Friday. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $295.00 and a fifty-two week high of $527.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $479.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $442.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.37 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $19.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.97% and a negative return on equity of 409.11%. HCA Healthcare’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.22 earnings per share. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.100-31.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.98 EPS for the current year.

HCA Healthcare Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from HCA Healthcare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HCA shares. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $507.00 to $573.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $525.00 price target on HCA Healthcare in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $535.00 to $590.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $521.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael S. Cuffe sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.09, for a total value of $747,135.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,944,194.27. This represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company’s core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA’s services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.